Palm Springs
by weaver-riter
Summary: Witch Hunt just sucks, so in my version, 10 years following Season 7, Kim and Kerry are settled with two children. In search of a little heat, they decide to go on a vacation to the desert town of Palm Springs, in the middle of summer.
1. Chapter 1

Kerry's eyes widened as she checked the current weather for Palm Springs, California on her iPhone for the last time.

"112 degrees, Kim? And we're sure that's in Fahrenheit?"

Kim smirked, in a way enjoying the reaction of her wife to the always shocking weather of her favorite desert paradise.

"Well, Ker, it is a desert…" Kim responded with a laugh as she shoved a last pair of denim shorts into her suitcase. Grabbing a lace bra out of her dresser, she walked towards the redhead, playfully twirling it around her index finger. "However, I doubt the air will be the hottest thing about our trip," she whispered into Kerry's ear.

The shorter woman blushed, placing a playful kiss on Kim's lips. "I can't wait," she replied, her own voice low and filled with desire.

Rekindling their relationship was, in a way, the whole purpose of this getaway. After 10 years of commitment and two children, they were no less in love, but time and the consistency of day-to-day life tended to get in the way of romance. They needed some time just for themselves, and a stay with their friends in Palm Springs, sans children, seemed like just what the doctor ordered.

A doorbell interrupted the women's romantic interlude.

"That must be Nana," said Kerry, breaking the embrace and heading towards the door. "And only 15 minutes late, she must have just set a Legaspi record."

While Kim's family could count cordiality, enthusiasm, kindness, and height among their collective talents, punctuality was definitely not one of them. Still, Kerry loved that Kim's mother was able to watch Ava and Oliver, even if it meant she had to tell Patricia to arrive at least half an hour before they actually needed to leave. The kids loved when Nana came to stay, which Kerry knew was due not only to her loving and fun personality, but also the numerous baking projects she conducted that tended to involve chocolate chip cookies.

Making her way down the stairs, Kerry heard the faint sound of Sesame Street coming from the den, and she began to reminisce. If only her own parents were here to see this, how happy she was, and the family she has now, she was sure they would enjoy having grandchildren just as much.

"Kim?" Patricia called from behind the door. "Kerry? I'm here!"

Kerry reached the door, and, pulling it open, embraced her mother-in-law in a warm hug.

"I'm so glad you made it!" she said, ushering the older woman into the foyer. "Ollie and Ava have been so excited to have their Nana watch them while we're gone."

"I'm so glad I could do it," replied Patricia, pulling in her small, printed suitcase. The bright rose and sparrow pattern perfectly described the woman: traditional, yet bright and vibrant, and always full of fun.

Just then, a pajama-clad toddler with an orange splash of hair entered the room, running right for his nana's feet.

"Ollie!" she said sweetly, setting down her suitcase in order to scoop the boy into her arms.

A blonde girl with a head full of curls appeared around the corner of the staircase, and was greeted by a similarly voiced "Ava!" She bounced into the room, also met by her nana's welcoming arms.

After all the greetings had been exchanged and Kim had come downstairs with some luggage, Kerry began to list off some final instructions before they would say their final goodbyes.

"The most important thing is that Ollie gets to bed by 8 at the latest, because otherwise you really won't want to deal with him in the morning," Kerry said with a bit of a laugh. "And Ava has piano on Tuesday and soccer on Thursday, and please make sure she practices all of her pieces every day. Other than that, I'm sure you know the routine, and I've made a little calendar of everything that absolutely must be done, so I'm sure it will all go fine."

"Kerry, dear," Patricia said to her daughter-in-law, placing her hand on the shorter woman's shoulder, "we've done this scores of times before. You needn't worry. I did raise six myself, you know."

"Of course, of course, I'm sorry. Thank you again for watching them."

"It really is my pleasure," Patricia assured Kerry as two Legaspi-Weaver children pulled her into the den in search of their newest toys.

"This is the last of it," Kim said when a humongous suitcase met the floor with a thump.

"Kim, how much did you bring?" Kerry asked, pretending to nag. She had to admit, however, that the blonde must have listened to some of her packing advice; otherwise they'd be dealing with at least 3 similarly gigantic containers holding most of Kim's wardrobe.

"Oh, you know me. My packing mantra has always been 'better safe than sorry!'" Kim said, pulling the navy blue luggage that seemed to weigh as much as a baby elephant. "I was a girl scout, you know."

After Kim somehow managed to fit the last suitcase into the trunk of their SUV, Ava and Ollie rushed into the garage, suddenly realizing that their mommies were actually leaving.

"Mama," Ollie said, held up on Kim's hip. "You have my picture? With the train?" he asked, referring to the paper he had given her earlier with a jumble of red and black scribbles.

"Of course, Ollie. I will look at it every time I miss you. Nana will take care of you, but just remember how much Mama loves you, okay?" she told him, placing a kiss on his forehead.

She set him down and he ran to his mommy, who had just finished giving Ava a hug and a goodbye. As Kerry picked up her son, the six-year-old skipped over to Kim.

"Be nice to your brother," she reminded her, tousling her light blonde curls.

"I'll really try Mama, believe me I will," the girl said earnestly. She looked up at her mother, who she so resembled in both appearance and stature. "I'll really miss you a lot, but I know you'll have fun. I will too! Nana brought me a new Beanie Baby and she said we would bake cupcakes this time!"

"I know you will, Ava," Kim said, lifting up her daughter and giving her a tight hug.

Letting go, her miniature beanpole and her little minx ran off to their Nana.

"Come on, you silly goose. You were going to show me your new teddy bear, right?" Patricia said, holding the two-year-old's hand as she led him out of the garage.

Getting into the car, the women waved their last goodbyes before rolling up the windows and pulling the car out of the driveway. As they drove down the street, Kim took her right hand off of the steering wheel and placed it atop Kerry's left.

After a few moments, Kerry spoke.

"You, Kim, are truly the only person I would brave 112 degree heat for."


	2. Chapter 2

The plane ride had been long. Six hours after their plane departed the busy O'Hare airport, Kim and Kerry arrived at LAX, only to collect their bags and rental car before a two-hour drive into the desert. Kim had motion sickness and Kerry's hip was, as she referred to it, "very sore," but both women tried to look beyond the temporary discomfort and think about the fun that they would soon have.

About a month ago, Kim's friend Joel had called, inviting them to stay with him and his partner Craig at their home in Palm Springs. Kim knew Joel from medical school at Johns Hopkins, and they remained close friends. Although she had visited him a few times after he and Craig moved to Palm Springs, in the ten years she had been with Kerry, life had gotten in the way of them ever being able to go.

Despite Kim's excitement, Kerry remained nervous throughout the entire car ride. She would periodically look up from the current issue of JAMA she was working on and would stare into the distance; a posture that those closest to her knew betrayed her inner anxiety.

"I don't understand how you can go on a two-month stay with the Tuareg people in the Saharan desert and yet be worried about spending six days with Joel and Craig in their air-conditioned house," Kim said with a laugh. Sometimes she felt like she might never completely understand Kerry, but she was sure that only made her all the more irresistible.

"I don't know, hon, I've just never met them before," Kerry said, shifting in her seat for the hundredth time.

"Come on, Ker, they're some of my closest friends. They're so excited to meet you in person after seeing ten years of Christmas cards!"

Kerry looked up at Kim, acknowledging silently what her mind knew to be true. Now if only she could convince her insecure inner ten-year-old that she was older now and would no longer need her assistance.

Kerry popped a Crosby, Stills, and Nash CD into the player. The two women sang along to song after song as they drove past countless windmills and endless shrubbery before arriving at a mid-century home nestled into the hills just outside downtown Palm Springs.

Realizing that she was, indeed, excited to meet Kim's friends, Kerry put aside her fears, smiling at Kim before she stepped out of the car. After a quick stretch, she walked over to the trunk to help Kim with the bags.

"It just hits you," Kim said, already sweating as she pulled out her suitcase which hit the ground with a thud.

"The heat?" Kerry asked, clarifying, as she pulled out her own, much smaller, suitcase.

"I suppose this is nothing for you, my very own African beauty," Kim said, planting a cheek on Kerry's lips as she pulled her head close.

"Oh, gosh, Kim, your shirt is nearly soaked through!" Kerry exclaimed, laughing.

"I know, it's like a free run with every trip outside," Kim said, returning the laughter. "You ready, Ker?" Kim asked, placing a hand on the shorter woman's back.

Kerry nodded, and together they walked up to the Spanish-tiled entryway.

A few seconds after they rang the doorbell, a tan man with dark brown hair and a warm smile opened the door and welcomed them in.

"Kim!" he exclaimed, pulling the blonde into a hug. Releasing, he turned to Kerry. "Very nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. "I'm Joel. I see you've helped Kim with her packing; something my advice has never seemed to be able to do."

Kerry laughed. "I did try to convince her that it wasn't necessary to bring three sweaters to color coordinate with different outfits just on the off-chance that it might get chilly."

"Well, we're never against color coordination, but I doubt that it will be very chilly!" he said, pointing to a wall thermometer that currently read about 118°F.

A tall blonde man with layered hair and thin-rimmed glasses came down the hallway. "Hello, all! Welcome to our sunny paradise!"

He walked into the foyer, giving them both hugs and introducing himself to Kerry as "the Craig you've seen in all of the Christmas cards."

"Mojitos, anyone?" Joel asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Kim replied. "We've had such a long day of traveling!" She glanced over at Kerry, who heartily agreed.

"May I take your bags and show you your room?" Craig asked, picking up Kerry's suitcase and pulling Kim's.

He led them down the sunlight-filled hall, past a bathroom and study, and into the guest bedroom. The room had several large windows and décor that echoed traditional Mexican furniture meets modern art. Although a seemingly immiscible combination, Kerry had to admit that it was pulled off flawlessly.

"This is gorgeous, Craig!" Kim exclaimed. "I see that the years of remodeling have finally paid off." She turned to Kerry to explain. "When they first bought this place, it was a mess. But Craig and Joel designed this entire wing of the house and re-did all of the bathrooms. Honestly," she said, turning to Craig, "you both should have been architects."

"You exaggerate, Kim. Really, Kerry, the most hands-on we got was walking to some of our friends' galleries to pick out inspiration pieces," he said with a laugh. "Anyway, make yourself at home. And don't worry about taking your time, Joel can get to be a little perfectionist when he mixes drinks," Craig said, exiting the room.

Kim collapsed onto the bed, her fall softened by a mound of decorative pillows. Kerry began to unpack her suitcase, pulling out her cosmetics bag and taking it into their en suite bathroom. After filling a glass of water, she swallowed two Aleve and grabbed a motion sickness pill for Kim. 'God,' Kerry thought to herself, 'we are getting to be like an old married couple.'

She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her empty hand on Kim's thigh.

"How do you read my mind so well, my dear?" the blonde asked, taking the pill out of Kerry's soft palm and swallowing it down.

Kerry moved her hand to Kim's back and calmly moved it in circles, massaging any tension. "Didn't you know that I trained in Africa as a shaman?" Kerry said, completely joking.

"You don't say," Kim replied, playing along with the ruse. "And what was your signature treatment for motion sickness?"

"I haven't told you?" Kerry asked, feigning shock. "A nice massage from a devoted wife followed by mojitos."

Kim rolled over to allow Kerry's dexterous hands better access to her back and neck. "I promise not to disobey the doctor's orders."

I'm just getting back into the fanfiction swing after a long absence. Any and all reviews are much appreciated. Thank you.


End file.
